Sunday, May 12, 2013

The Return of the Bucentaur to the Molo on Ascension Day, 1730 by Canaletto

(Venice, Italy) In one of the world's longest marriages, today Venice once again tossed her ring into the Sea, cementing a relationship that has endured for more than a thousand years. Oh, sure, there have been some quarrels, as in any intimate relationship, but Venice and the Sea have managed to endure century after century. Despite a few storms, floods and other shows of temper, Venice and the Sea always work out their differences and arrive at a state of equilibrio. It is a beautiful day here in La Serenissima, full of sunshine and good feelings -- perfect weather for a wedding.

Last year the Festa della Sensa fell on the same day as the America's Cup, and I would like to take a moment to remember the Olympic gold medalist, Oliver Simpson, who died at the age of 36 on Thursday, May 9, 2013 after being trapped under the Artemis Racing catamaran when it capsized in San Francisco Bay during a routine training exercise for this year's America's Cup.
May he rest in peace. Last year I wrote a detailed post about the holiday:

The Ancient and the Contemporary, the Sacred and the
Profane merge once again in Venice. Today is Ascension Day, the day that
celebrates the bodily ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven. In Venice,
it is known as the Festa della Sensa; "sensa" is the word "ascension"
in the Venetian language. Whenever Venetians get their hands on a
special day, they like to pack as much power into that day as possible.
So, in the morning there is the traditional Festa della Sensa
celebration, and in the afternoon -- the America's Cup!

Festa della Sensa -- even without the America's Cup in town --
traditionally commemorates two different, important events in Venetian
history. The first took place on May 9, 1000 when Doge Pietro Orseolo II
rescued the Dalmatians from the Slavs.

The second event took place in 1177. Back in those days, the players involved were:

1. The Holy Roman Empire with the German Frederick I Barbarossa (aka Red Beard aka Kaiser Rotbart) as the Emperor.
a) Anti-pope Callixtus III, backed by Red Beard
2. The Republic of Venice, with Sebastiano Ziani as the Doge.
3. Pope Alexander III, backed by the Lombard League

Federico Zuccaro - Barbarossa Pays Homage to Alexander III

Frederick I Barbarossa (Red Beard) was the German Holy Roman Emperor,
and he had his own anti-pope, Callixtus III. Red Beard was going around
conquering everybody, as emperors have a tendency to do. He was
particularly eager to conquer Italy, and was not fond of Pope Alexander
III, who had excommunicated him for his bad behavior. The only force
with any hope to stop Red Beard was the Lombard League, which was backed
by Pope Alexander III. The Battle of Legnano was fought and the Lombard
League won.

Just WHO was God's vicar on Earth? The Pope or the Emperor? That was the
question. It is not easy to get an Emperor and a Pope together in the
same town, but Venice managed to do just that. Pope Alexander III came
to Venice. Red Beard got as far as Chioggia, but was not allowed to land in Venice herself "until
he had set aside his leonine ferocity and put on the gentleness of the
lamb." Barbarossa became lamb-like, and was allowed into Piazza San
Marco, where he found Pope Alexander III surrounded by the Doge, the Patriarch, a host of cardinals and other luminaries. The
Emperor prostrated himself in front of the Pope, and received the kiss of
peace. So, the Treaty, or Peace, of Venice in 1177 is also celebrated during the Festa della Sensa. From Old & Sold:
The astute Venetians extorted valuable
privileges both from the Pope and from the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
as their reward for the part which they had played in the historic
reconciliation.

During his stay in Venice Alexander III was present at the famous
ceremony which was later known as the wedding of the Adriatic, a rite
which had been inaugurated by the great Doge Pietro Orseolo II, the
conqueror of Dalmatia. As a token of Papal approval of the ceremony the
Pope handed the Doge Sebastiano Ziani a consecrated ring with the words:
"Receive this as a pledge of the sovereignty which you and your
successors shall have in perpetuity over the sea."

For over 600 years this magnificent ceremony was enacted annually.
The Doge, surrounded by the Patriarch of Venice, the great officers of
State, and the foreign ambassadors, embarked on the large gilded barge,
the Bucintoro, and sailed through the Porto di Lido to the open
Adriatic. Here the Patriarch blessed the ring and gave it to the Doge,
who threw it into the sea, pronouncing the time-honoured formula: "Sea,
we wed thee in token of our true and perpetual dominion over thee." The
ceremony only came to an end with the extinction of the Republic in
1797.

Festa della Sensa by Canaletto

Venice began celebrating Festa della Sensa again in 1965. The tradition
continues to this very day when Venice marries her husband, the sea,
except these days it is the mayor who throws a symbolic "ring" into the
sea in the waters off Lido. Then there are traditional regattas, a high
mass at the Church of San Nicolò, and a market on the grounds outside
the church.

1 comment:

In one of the world's longest marriages, today Venice once again tossed her ring into the Sea, cementing a relationship that has endured for more than a thousand years. Oh, sure, there have been some quarrels, as in any intimate relationship, but Venice and the Sea have managed to endure century after century.

Find Venice Blog on Facebook

Subscribe To

TRANSLATE

Search This Blog

About Me

Award-winning author Cat Bauer (HARLEY, LIKE A PERSON; HARLEY'S NINTH - Alfred A. Knopf) has lived in Venice, Italy since 1998. She was a regular contributor to the International Herald Tribune's Italian supplement, Italy Daily, published with Corriere della Sera. Venetian Cat - Venice Blog has been featured in the Financial Times Weekend Magazine, and read in 198 countries & territories, and 160 languages. Cat Bauer is a contributing editor for LUXOS Magazine, the Venice Insider for CNN and Ninemsn, and had more than 13 million views on Google+ until Google stopped counting

International Group of Heritage Experts Write Open Letter

Venice - Too Hot to Handle

Romance Rules in Venice

NO TORTURE IN ITALY!

Italy Agrees: TORTURE IS OFFENSIVE

Giorgia Boscolo

Venice's First Female Gondolier

Giorgia Boscolo Rows into Venetian Hearts

(12 maggio 2012 - Venice, Italy)

Yesterday, I took the traghetto over to San Tomà and met Giorgia Boscola for the first time. After nearly a millenium, the exclusive male world of the gondolieri accepted a woman as one of their own in 2010. The daughter of a gondolier, Giorgia is continuing the tradition. She's vibrant and friendly, greating passengers with a warm buon giorno, which is refreshing. When I asked her how it felt to be surrounded by so many men, the mother of two said, "I grew up with them, so it is like having hundreds of uncles."

"...Boscolo has dismissed critics who have questioned whether women would be strong enough to control the large boats.

'Childbirth is much more difficult,' she said."

Luxury Made in the Veneto

Bottega Veneta

Diana and Callisto

National Gallery & National Galleries of Scotland Score Titian

Venetian Cat at the Top!

Easy Jet Top 10

Venetian Cat in Easy Jet Top 10

I'm very pleased to be one of Easy Jet Holidays Top 10 Travel blogs:
"Always at the bleeding edge of what’s happening in Venice Venetian Cat writes about the cultural goings on there, too often missed by even the most enthusiastic tourists – Musing on the curious meeting of East and West through history in Venice, Cat discusses a visiting Chinese opera at the Goldoni Theater in Venice."

Ca' Rezzonico

Ca' Rezzonico Museum of 18th Century Venice

Palazzo Mocenigo

Palazzo Mocenigo

Palazzo Mocenigo has been restored with an itinerary dedicated to the history of fragrances in Italy. Scents from the centuries waft throughout the ancient home showcasing Venetian fabric, textiles and fashion.

Cini Foundation Opens its Doors

Guided Tours

Giorgio Cini monumental complex open to visitors

Located on the Island of San Giorgio, the Giorgio Cini complex is one of my favorite places on the entire planet, full of treasures that reflect the highest qualities of mankind. On Saturdays and Sundays, the monumental complex is open to visitors from 10.00 to 16.00, every hour: guided tours in Italian: at 10, 12, 14, 16 guided tours in English or French: 11, 13, 15 During weekdays, guided tours are for groups of at least 12 people, upon reservation.

Imperial Rooms at Museo Correr

Audience Room

Imperial Rooms of the Royal Palace in Venice

My favorite Empress, the non-conformist Elisabeth ("Sissi") of Austria, actually lived in Venice for a period of time inside the Royal Palace, which is now the Museo Correr. Thanks to the Comité Français pour la Savegarde de Venise, Sissi's rooms have been restored and are now open to the public. The simple, elegant decoration of the rooms goes back to the Hapsberg period, with touches of the Napoleonic age.

SimonSeeks Recommended blog

Ca' Giustinian Biennale Headquarters

Ca' Giustinian - Biennale Headquarters

[Secret: the terrace at Ca' Giustinian is a reasonably-priced place to have lunch, or a spritz, while overlooking the Grand Canal. If the weather is not fine, inside is the L'Ombra del Leone (Shadow of the Lion). All are welcome.]